The Patriot Files Forums  

Go Back   The Patriot Files Forums > Active Duty > Active Duty Appreciation

Post New Thread  Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 05-16-2019, 01:29 PM
Boats's Avatar
Boats Boats is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sauk Village, IL
Posts: 21,784
Thumbs up Marine in vehicle hit by an ISIS anti-tank guided missile earns Bronze Star for valor

Marine in vehicle hit by an ISIS anti-tank guided missile earns Bronze Star for valor in Syria
By: Shawn Snow - Marine Times 5-16-19
RE: https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/fla...alor-in-syria/

Photo link: https://www.armytimes.com/resizer/-T...S6G37DGZDE.jpg
Marine Corps Staff Sgt. John Williams, platoon sergeant, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, is awarded the Bronze Star with Valor device at Lance Cpl. Torrey Gray Field, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, March 14. (Lance Cpl. Rachel K. Young/Marine Corps)

On May 5, 2018, a Marine was serving as an 81 mm mortar section leader with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, at an observation outpost in northeast Syria when his section came under a complex attack by Islamic State fighters.

Manning a heavy machine gun, Staff Sgt. John Williams engaged with ISIS dismounted and mounted forces approaching his section’s position as mortar and automatic fire targeted him.

Williams communicated to his section the locations of other ISIS fighters as he continued to lay down fire against the approaching forces.

In the midst of battle, William’s vehicle was struck by an anti-tank guided missile, which took out the tire and wounded the driver and others close to the vehicle.

Williams, suffering a concussion, climbed out of the vehicle and administered multiple tourniquets to both of the driver’s legs and then carried him to a casualty collection point.

The mortar section leader returned to the vehicle to gather sensitive items, when a second enemy missile struck just 50 meters from his position. Williams withdrew his section while under fire as air support provided cover.

For his heroic feat, Williams was awarded the Bronze Star with "V" device for valor at a ceremony in March held at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California. The details of his actions were laid out in an award citation obtained by Marine Corps Times.

First Lt. Cameron Edinburgh, spokesman with the 1st Marine Division, confirmed that the enemy forces were ISIS fighters. U.S. forces are in the region to advise partner forces fighting ISIS, but there are a number of militias and proxy forces operating in the region.

William’s award for combat valor in Syria is a reminder of the inherent dangers of advising missions in the war-torn region, but also the threat posed to coalition forces in the region by advanced anti-tank weaponry floating around the battlefield.

Syria is awash with a number of anti-tank guided missile systems, which include Chinese Red Arrows, Russian 9M133 Kornets, American BGM 71 TOWs, an Iranian imitation known as the Toophan, among other systems.

Many of these systems flooded the battlefield in the early days of the Syrian civil war, as insurgent and rebel groups battled an armored and tank heavy Syrian force.

Vetted groups opposed to Syrian President Bashar Assad were supplied U.S. TOW systems to take on Syrian tanks. The CIA run program eventually was canceled by President Donald Trump in 2017, following concerns some of the weapons were ending up in the hands of groups tied to al-Qaida, according to The New York Times.

The chaos of Syria’s bloody conflict continues to rage today, even as coalition and Kurdish allies have captured the last remaining ISIS enclaves.

But, the proliferation of a number of anti-tank systems remains a major threat to coalition forces in the region.

According to the Wall Street Journal, while anti-tank guided missile systems, or ATGMs, were developed more than a decade ago, the systems have seen some upgrades that have pushed coalition forces operating in the Middle East to find quick solutions to counter the armor wrecking systems.

“The modern ATGM can penetrate 1,000 millimeters or more of cold-rolled steel plate,” John Gordon, an analyst with Rand told the Journal. “These things are now in the hands of groups like ISIS, the Taliban and Hezbollah, and increasing numbers of nonstate military forces.”

In January, Marine Forces Central Command, or MARCENT, told Marine Corps Times it had approved a total of three Bronze Stars. Williams’ award was approved on February 4, making his award at least the fourth such award out of MARCENT.

In December 2018, MARCENT told Marine Corps Times it had approved 47 Purple Hearts since 2016 for Operation Inherent Resolve, or OIR.

The sole Silver Star awarded to a Marine in support of OIR was earned by a Marine Raider for his actions at the outset of the campaign to liberate Mosul, Iraq, in 2016.

About this writer: Shawn Snow is the senior reporter for Marine Corps Times and a Marine Corps veteran.
__________________
Boats

O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

All times are GMT -7. The time now is 10:47 AM.


Powered by vBulletin, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.